1 Ellen DeGeneres, chat show host Multi-Emmy Award-winning actor, writer and stand-up comedian, DeGeneres came out in 1997 and is the host of one of America’s most successful chat shows, The Ellen DeGeneres Show

2 Stephen Fry, TV presenter and author Fry is a British actor, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter, film director and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He is also a Gay Star News reader.

3 Jane Lynch, actor Famous as US TV comedy Glee’s ruthless cheerleading squad leader Sue Sylvester. She is currently making her Broadway debut as Miss Hannigan in Annie at the Palace Theatre, New York.

4 Clare Balding, sports presenter Cambridge-educated British TV and radio presenter Clare Balding is at the top of her career. She fronted BBC coverage of the Olympics and Channel 4 coverage of the Paralympics in 2012, for which she was honored with a special award at the 2013 Baftas and received an OBE from the Queen.

5 Tim Cook, CEO Apple The son of a shipyard worker, he worked at Compaq and IBM before arriving at Apple to become Steve Jobs’s chief operating officer, and is credited with helping to turn a once-ailing company into the powerhouse it is today. Despite not publicly saying he is gay, Cook has topped Out magazine’s power list of gay people for three years. He is currently defending Apple’s use of tax loopholes in the Supreme Court.

6 Sir Elton John, musician Singer-songwriter Elton John has been funneling money into his AIDS Foundation since 1992. He has two sons with his civil partner David Furnish; Zachary, who was born in 2010, and Elijah, who was born in January.

7 Lord Waheed Alli, Labour politician Media entrepreneur, businessman and the youngest and first openly gay peer in Britain’s House of Lords, Waheed Alli works for gay rights at the highest levels.

8 Tammy Baldwin, US politician Tammy Baldwin, the Democratic senator for Wisconsin, is a fearless champion of equal rights, clean energy and universal healthcare, and is the first openly gay US senator.

9 Gok Wan, TV presenter Few British TV personalities are as universally recognized and loved as Gok Wan. Shy and obese as a child, and now passionate about having a healthy body image, he found his calling in fashion styling. He is out, proud and unashamedly flamboyant.

10 Sir Ian McKellen, actor His roles in blockbuster films X Men and Lord of the Rings have made McKellen a global superstar. He came out in 1988 and has brought all his star power to bear on the cause of equality, co-founding leading gay British campaign organization Stonewall.

11 Peter Tatchell, campaigner A lifelong LGBT activist and agitator for equal rights, Australian-born Peter Tatchell twice tried a citizen’s arrest on Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe and was beaten up for his efforts. He received similar treatment from neo-Nazis when supporting the Gay Pride march in Moscow.

12 Martina Navratilova, former tennis player Billie Jean King called her ‘the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player that ever lived’. Since 1981, she’s been open about her lesbianism, and has spoken out repeatedly on behalf of LGBT rights.

13 Alan Carr, comedian Hugely successful gay British chatshow host and award-winning standup comedian.

14 Charlie Condou, actor Father of two and champion of gay parenting, Condou is best known for his role in long-running British TV soap, Coronation Street as Marcus Dent.

15 Michael Cashman, Member of the European Parliament Recently voted MEP of the year for justice and fundamental rights by his peers. Cashman, a co-founder of Stonewall, was an actor best known for his role as Colin in British TV soap EastEnders. He registered his civil partnership with Paul Cottingham in 2006.

16 Graham Norton, TV presenter Irish-born Norton is an award-winning BBC presenter whose outrageous questioning style has endeared him to audiences.

17 Jane Hill, broadcast journalist Always open about her sexual orientation, Hill has been a presenter and BBC newsreader for many years. She has worked on many high profile stories, including the elections of Barack Obama.

18 Heather Peace, actor and singer British actor and musician, with roles in British TV series Casualty, Holby City, Coronation Street and Lip Service. Peace is a patron of Manchester Pride.

19 Jessie J, singer Jessie J came out as bisexual in 2011. The singer-songwriter and judge on The Voice became the first UK female solo artist to achieve six top-10 singles from a single studio album, her debut Who Are You?

20 Sue Perkins, comedian and presenter Perkins began her career as half of double-act Mel and Sue on British daytime show Light Lunch. She now co-presents the Great British Bakeoff.

21 Mark Palmer-Edgecumbe, head of diversity, Google Conceived Google’s Legalize Love campaign, aimed at countries where homosexuality is illegal.

22 Elio Di Rupo PM, Belgium As well as being an openly gay leader in the European Union, Di Rupo is also the first Belgian prime minister of non-Walloon or Flemish descent – the first Francophone to hold the post.

23 Anderson Cooper, broadcast journalist The anchor of CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360° is, according to the New York Times, ‘the most prominent openly gay journalist on American TV’. He came out last year saying: ‘I’m gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.’

24 Mary Portas, TV retail expert Portas is best known for her UK TV shows in which she helps struggling shops to transform their fortunes.

25 Jodie Foster, actor The Oscar-winning actor has two sons with ex-partner Cydney Bernard. She received a lifetime achievement award at this year’s Golden Globes.

26 Anthony Watson, CIO and MD, Barclays Alongside his demanding job in the City, Watson is a driving force for diversity and inclusion across the UK and abroad.

27 Sarah Gilbert, actor Best known for her role as the sarcastic middle child Darlene Connor in the American sitcom Rosanne, Gilbert came out as a lesbian in 2010 and this year announced her engagement to songwriter Linda Perry.

28 Samantha Ronson, DJ The English-born DJ, who lives in California, has spun her discs at some of the highest-profile events across the globe, including private parties for Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Ellen DeGeneres and Natalie Portman.

29 Laura Doughty, deputy chief executive, Stonewall Doughty was a driving force behind the UK gay organization’s hugely successful 2012 London bus marketing campaign, Some People Are Gay. Get Over It!

30 Tom Ford, fashion designer Feted for his success at Gucci, Ford went on to create his own Tom Ford label and directed the Oscar-nominated film A Single Man. He has a degree in architecture and has been with his partner, Richard Buckley, since 1986.

31 Lee Pearson, Paralympian equestrian The openly gay equestrian, who was born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita – a rare congenital disorder – is a 10-time Paralympic Games gold medalist and represented Britain in Sydney, Athens, Beijing and London.

32 Dr Christian Jessen, TV doctor Famous for UK shows Supersize vs Superskinny and Embarrassing Bodies.

33 Chaz Bono, writer and musician Bono, child of superstars Sonny and Cher, underwent gender reassignment in 2010 and is now a transgender advocate and campaigner against the US Defense of Marriage Act.

34 Chris Bryant, Member of UK Parliament A Labour MP, Bryant is shadow minister for borders and immigration. He and his partner, Jared Cranney, had the first civil partnership ceremony held in the Houses of Parliament.

35 Anna Grodzka, Polish politician Publisher and film-maker Grodzka is a respected politician and Europe’s first known transsexual MP. She underwent gender reassignment in 2010 and is a member of the progressive Palikot’s Movement party in Poland.

36 Neil Patrick Harris, actor, director Best known for his role in Doogie Howser MD, the Emmy Award-winning Harris has also directed a production of Martin Sherman’s Rent. Harris lives with his partner, David Burtka, and their two children.

37 Angela Eagle, Member of the UK Parliament Shadow leader of the House of Commons, this well-respected Labour politician was the first openly gay woman in parliament when she came out in September 1998 and the first lesbian in a ministerial post.

38 Antony Cotton, actor Playing the gay character Sean Tully in British TV soap Coronation Street and taking a pivotal role in a breakthrough gay-parenting storyline with fellow actor Charlie Condou.

39 Tim Gill, founder of Quark The American software entrepreneur and philanthropist is involved in advocacy for LGBT rights through his Gill Action Fund. His charity work concerns itself with ending prejudice and injustice against the gay community. Gill is married to Scott Miller and they live in Denver, Colorado.

40 Liz Sayce, CEO, Disability Rights UK Sayce is one of the UK’s foremost authorities on disability issues. She spent eight years as policy director of the mental health charity Mind.

41 Portia de Rossi, actor Australian actress De Rossi, who rose to fame as the glamorous lawyer Nelle Porter in Ally McBeal, has just resurrected her role as the vapid blonde Lindsay Bluth Fünke in the American sitcom Arrested Development.

42 Val McDermid, crime writer The Scottish crime writer and broadcaster said she wants Kelly Smith, her partner since 2004, to become her wife when gay marriage laws are passed.

43 Zachary Quinto, actor and film producer The actor who played Spock in the 2009 Star Trek and this year’s sequel Star Trek Into Darkness has served as a fierce advocate for LGBT rights after coming out in 2011. He also campaigned for Barack Obama’s re-election last year.

44 Stella Duffy, writer Novelist Duffy said in an interview with the Independent last year: ‘No one ever says “He’s a straight; she’s a heterosexual”, but I’m constantly being called “a lesbian” and it’s just not the most interesting thing about me.’

45 Nikolai Alexeev, Russian LGBT campaigner Alexeyev is the chief organiser of Moscow Pride, which gets banned in the city year after year. In 2010, he won the first ever case at the European Court of Human Rights on LGBT human rights violations in Russia.

46 Vincent Francois, head of audit, Société Générale Francois has responsibility for activities spanning 10 countries. In 2010 he created Société Générale’s first LGB network in the UK.

47 Jóhanna Siguroardóttir, former Prime Minister, Iceland Siguroardóttir was the world’s first openly lesbian premier. She has two children from a previous marriage, but is now married to her female partner.

48 Craig Revel Horwood, TV personality Strictly Come Dancing stalwart Revel Horwood has been a judge on all 10 series of the BBC dance show. He is openly bisexual and, this year, he is choreographing a new musical version of the American sitcom Happy Days for a UK tour.

49 Russell Tovey, actor British actor, known as werewolf George Sands in the BBC supernatural drama Being Human. As an openly gay actor Tovey said this year he is waiting for the right gay role to come along.

50 Lord John Browne, former CEO BP Browne was outed by the Mail on Sunday in 2007. He has written about his own sexuality and coming out in general.

51 Ricky Martin, singer Martin has sold more than 30million albums worldwide. The global superstar and father of twin boys – born via a surrogate mother – came out in 2010.

52 Russell T Davies, screenwriter/ producer Davies’s groundbreaking, late- 1990s drama, Queer as Folk, dramatised his experiences on the Manchester gay scene. He went on to revitalize British sci-fi series bringing the dead-and-buried saga to new audiences and huge acclaim.

53 Rylan Clark, TV personality The singer from Essex, southern England has remained in the public eye since failing to win The X Factor last year. He is co-host of Big Brother’s Bit On The Side.

54 Sue Sanders, British LGBT activist Sanders has fought oppression in the public and third sectors for more than 30 years. She implemented the UK’s LGBT History Month, now in its ninth year.

55 Eileen Gallagher, TV producer Gallagher co-founded British-based Shed Productions in 1998. The company is famous for making TV series Waterloo Road.

56 Maureen Chadwick, screenwriter Chadwick is co-founder of Shed Productions with Gallagher. She co-created British TV prison soap Bad Girls, a lesbian favorite.

57 Liz Bingham, managing partner, Ernst & Young UK Bingham started her career straight from school and now she is seeking to put more women and diverse ethnicities in the boardroom.

58 Claire Harvey, Paralympian volleyball player Sportswoman and Team GB’s Paralympian volleyball star, Harvey is also involved in the management of the Great Britain deaf women’s football team.

59 Marguerite McLaughlin CEO, Metro Centre Boss of leading UK equality and diversity charity Metro, McLaughlin provides a range of services for the LGBT community and others across the south east.

60 Maggi Hambling, artist The creator of the 4m Scallop on Aldeburgh beach, southern England, Hambling was the first artist to be given a residency at the National Portrait Gallery.

61 Adam Lambert, singer The first openly gay pop artist to launch a career on a major label in the US, Lambert has had a meteoric rise since the final of 2009’s American Idol.

62 Ben Bradshaw, Member of the UK Parliament The UK gay Labour MP, who is a practicing Christian, has criticized the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches for refusing to accept gay marriage.

63 Sophie Ward, actor Ward became a gay hero in 1997 when she came out as a lesbian, left her husband and began a long-term relationship with writer Rena Brannan.

64 Paul Flowers, CEO Co-op Runs Co-op, the British incarnation of the Co-operative retail and services movement.

65 Tim Hely Hutchinson, CEO, Hachette Hutchinson is the younger son of the eighth Earl of Donoughmore and the CEO of the UK’s largest publisher.

66 Amy Lamé, performer and writer American born Amy Lamé now lives in London and is the woman behind the cult performance collective and club night Duckie.

67 Margot James, Member of the UK Parliament MP for Stourbridge, James is the first openly lesbian Conservative MP in history.

68 Bertrand Delanoë, Mayor of Paris Delanoë was one of the first major French politicians to announce that he was gay, during a 1998 TV interview.

69 Jason Collins, NBA player Basketball player Jason Collins became the first openly gay professional athlete in the NBA when he came out in a Sports Illustrated piece this year.

70 Louie Spence, TV personality Artistic director at London’s Pineapple Dance Studios, Spence is a TV personality, choreographer and producer-director of musical theatre.

71 Harish Iyer, LGBT activist This Indian activist has spoken frankly about his experience of childhood sexual abuse and his life has formed the basis of two films: I Am and Amen

72 Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, MD UK Black Pride Founder and managing director of UK Black Pride, Opoku-Gyimah, or Lady Phyll as she is known, campaigns for equality in the workplace through her seat on the Trades Union Congress race relations committee.

73 Suran Dickson, CEO Diversity Role Models Dickson quit as a London school teacher in 2011 to set up UK charity Diversity Role Models, challenging homophobia by taking positive gay role models into schools.

74 Paul Burston, writer Burston is editor of the gay section of London listings magazine Time Out and founder of gay literary club Polari.

75 Paul Reed, CEO BP The CEO of integrated supply trading at controversial UK petrochemical giant BP, Reed has criticized the City for old-fashioned attitudes to LGBT staff.

76 Daniel Winterfeldt, lawyer US securities lawyer who is head of CMS’s International Capital Markets group.

77 Sir Cameron Mackintosh, producer Mackintosh is famous for turning musicals such as Les Misérables into global theatrical productions and was the money behind the movie. He has transformed London’s West End.

78 Ashley Steel, City adviser Steel works in the City of London, the financial district of the UK capital, and is a board member at management services company KPMG, where she is also a member of the board sub group for diversity.

79 Alice Arnold, broadcaster Broadcaster, presenter and BBC Radio 4 newsreader, Arnold is civil partner of sports presenter Clare Balding.

80 Marai Larasi, CEO Imkaan Director of British black feminist organization Imkaan, Larasi is dedicated to ending violence against women and girls.

81 Mark McLane, head of diversity, Barclays American businessman McLane moved to the UK in 2011 with his partner Carlos, to lead Barclays’ diversity program. He didn’t come out professionally until he was 32, but says it has since shaped his career.

82 Horse McDonald, musician Earlier this year, the Scottish singer songwriter married her partner in her hometown of Lanark, where she had faced anti-gay bullying growing up.

83 Julie Bindel, journalist Feminist journalist and Guardian contributor. Bindel is co-founder of the group Justice for Women, which opposes violence against women. She has regularly upset transgender people, particularly in 2004 when she was accused of ridiculing their experiences.

84 Fiona Shaw, actor UK actor who has starred and directed in many theatrical productions and screen dramas. Shaw is possibly best known for her role as Mrs Dursley in the Harry Potter films.

85 Andy Woodfield, Partner PwC UK Based in London, Woodfield created the Glee at PwC network, an employee network for ‘gays, lesbians and everyone else’.

86 Pratibha Parmar, film-maker Known for her politically complex documentaries focusing on disenfranchised groups, Parmar’s most recent film, Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth, is a feature-length documentary about the life and art of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Colour Purple.

87 Barney Frank, politician The most prominent gay US politician, he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1980 and became the first member of Congress to voluntarily come out in 1987.

88 Andi Keeling MD, women’s markets, RBS The male-dominated banking world put Keeling off being out at work; she now hopes she can be an inspiration to other gay women in the sector working at Royal Bank of Scotland.

89 Neil Bentley, deputy director general, CBI Bentley represents the Confederation of British Industry nationally and internationally, and is a champion of boardroom diversity.

90 Omar Sharif Jr, actor Elder grandson of the Lawrence of Arabia star, Omar Sharif Jr came out and left Egypt during the 2011 revolution, writing in the Advocate: ‘I write this article in fear. Fear for my country, fear for my family and fear for myself… I am Egyptian, I am half Jewish, and I am gay.’ He now lives in Los Angeles.

91 Harry Derbidge, TV personality Perhaps the most recognisable gay teenager in the UK, Harry Derbidge has left TV soap-meets-reality show The Only Way is Essex and opened a shop in Brentwood.

92 Jeff Holland, co-founder, Liongate Capital Management Jeff Holland is managing director and co-founder of Liongate Capital Management, which has just sold a 55% stake of the company to US asset manager Principal Global Investors. He was named one of the top-40 hedge fund managers under 40.

93 Jonathan Harvey, playwright Liverpool-born playwright Harvey had his first success with the gay-themed play Beautiful Thing, which became a 1996 film.

94 Lance Price, founder Kaleidoscope The British writer, journalist and political commentator Lance Price launched the Kaleidoscope Trust in 2011 to campaign for equality for LGBT people across the world.

95 Diana King, singer Jamaican reggae singer Diana King came out last year, posting to Facebook: ‘I am... woman... mother... aunt... Jamaican... American... international artiste... singer... songwriter... band leader... friend... lover... entrepreneur... goddess… and yes… I am a lesbian.’ There was an ellipses drought blighting keyboards across the country for months afterwards.

96 James Wharton, writer, ex-soldier Wharton has written about being gay in the British Army, an army at war. He recently told GSN exclusively that Britain’s current third in line to the throne, Prince Harry of Wales, is ‘100% gay friendly’, having served with him in the forces.

97 Denise Marshall CEO, Eaves Marshall’s charity, Eaves, helps victims of violence and sex trafficking. She returned her OBE from the Queen in protest at the UK government’s budget cuts.

98 Tim Sigsworth, Albert Kennedy Trust Tim Sigsworth is chief executive of the Albert Kennedy Trust, which helps young British LGBT people who have been made homeless or are living in a hostile environment.